Diametric resistance exercise device

ABSTRACT

A device for exercising opposing muscle groups is provided. The exercise device includes a frame, a hand member, a foot member, and a leg member positioned between the hand member and the foot member and attached via a frame. The hand member, foot member, and leg members are configured such that a force applied by the user to the hand member is opposed by a counter force acting against the foot member, and vice-versa. In another embodiment, the foot member includes a foot securing means for securing a user&#39;s foot, or feet, to the foot member. A press member may also be connected to the frame, opposite the foot member configured to allow the user to perform pressing exercises.

CROSS-REFERENCES TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Patent applicationNo. 60/517,228, entitled “EXERCISE METHOD AND APPARATUS” and filed onOct. 31, 2003 for Barry E. Brun.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

This invention relates to exercise devices and more particularly relatesto exercise devices configured to work muscle groups in directopposition to each other.

2. Description of the Related Art

Exercise has long been known to be an effective way to facilitate weightreduction. Much of the exercise equipment available to the normalconsumer desirous of staying in good physical condition and maintaininggood muscle tone consists of well known bar bell sets or the more modernsystems of pulleys and weights arranged such that the user receives hisexercise by pushing or pulling against either friction or gravity. Thebar bell style equipment is usually bulky because of the need to be ableto increase the number of weights used for each exercise as the userachieves his goal of good muscle tone or physical conditioning. Modemweight equipment, while usually more compact, is generally quiteexpensive.

An alternative to the purchase of equipment by the athletically inclinedperson to join an athletic club. This alternative, however, is availableonly to those persons living close to such a club and having the moneyto pay the initial fee of several hundred dollars and maintain themonthly payments.

Persons desirous of maintaining or improving their physical conditionand muscle tone and unable to join an athletic club or purchase theirown equipment because of money, time, distance, or space requirements,have had to resort to home remedies, such as calisthenics, or remediesthat require no equipment, such as walking or running. Whilecalisthenics are very beneficial, they do not allow the exerciser tovary the resistance required to perform the exercise. For example, whenperforming deep knee bends, the only resistance placed on the back, leg,and stomach muscles when performing the exercise, is the person's ownweight. Walking and running may be very effective in increasing heartrate, reducing weight, and toning muscles, however, not everyone isphysically capable of walking the required distances, or running, andcertainly, not everyone has the time.

One type of device attempts to overcome the aforementioned deficiencieswith an exercise pole having a plurality of cross members and a base. Auser stands on the base and applies a force on one cross member andresists the force by applying a counter force on the second crossmember. This device also suffers from at least one deficiency.Specifically, the user is limited to very few exercises as it requiresthe user to stand on the base while in use.

From the foregoing discussion, it should be apparent that a need existsfor a diametric resistance exercise device that works on opposing musclegroups. Beneficially, such a device would eliminate the need forexpensive and bulky exercise equipment, long workouts, and expensive gymmemberships yet provide for a variety of exercises.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention has been developed in response to the presentstate of the art, and in particular, in response to the problems andneeds in the art that have not yet been fully solved by currentlyavailable exercise devices. Accordingly, the present invention has beendeveloped to provide for a diametric exercise device that overcomes manyor all of the above-discussed shortcomings in the art.

More particularly, in one embodiment, the exercise device is configuredto exercise opposing muscle groups using a frame, a hand memberconnected to one end of the frame, a foot member connected to anopposite end of the frame, and a leg member positioned between the handmember and the foot member. The hand member, foot member, and legmembers are configured such that a force applied by the user to the handmember is opposed by a counter force acting against the foot member, andvice-versa. In another embodiment, the foot member includes a footsecuring means for securing a user's foot, or feet, to the foot member.A press member may also be connected to the frame, opposite the footmember configured to allow the user to perform pressing exercises.

In another embodiment, the hand member is configured to provide multiplepositions for the user's hands using angled gripping sections thatswivel.

In yet another embodiment, the foot securing means is configured to wraparound the user's ankles to assist in additional exercises. The footsecuring means may include two ‘C’ shaped members 26, which create areceiving area for holding the user's ankles therein. In a furtherembodiment, the foot securing means simply wraps around the user's footto removably secure the user's foot to the foot member.

In still another embodiment, a layer of padding surrounding the legmember is configured to protect the user from injury.

In another embodiment, an extension protrudes from a side of the frameto, and the leg member attaches to the extension, to offset the legmember from a longitudinal axis of the frame.

Reference throughout this specification to features, advantages, orsimilar language does not imply that all of the features and advantagesthat may be realized with the present invention should be or are in anysingle embodiment of the invention. Rather, language referring to thefeatures and advantages is understood to mean that a specific feature,advantage, or characteristic described in connection with an embodimentis included in at least one embodiment of the present invention. Thus,discussion of the features and advantages, and similar language,throughout this specification may, but do not necessarily, refer to thesame embodiment.

Furthermore, the described features, advantages, and characteristics ofthe invention may be combined in any suitable manner in one or moreembodiments. One skilled in the relevant art will recognize that theinvention can be practiced without one or more of the specific featuresor advantages of a particular embodiment. In other instances, additionalfeatures and advantages may be recognized in certain embodiments thatmay not be present in all embodiments of the invention.

These features and advantages of the present invention will become morefully apparent from the following description and appended claims, ormay be learned by the practice of the invention as set forthhereinafter.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

In order that the advantages of the invention will be readilyunderstood, a more particular description of the invention brieflydescribed above will be rendered by reference to specific embodimentsthat are illustrated in the appended drawings. Understanding that thesedrawings depict only typical embodiments of the invention and are nottherefore to be considered to be limiting of its scope, the inventionwill be described and explained with additional specificity and detailthrough the use of the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a front view illustrating one embodiment of a diametricresistance exercise device in accordance with the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a side view illustrating another embodiment of a diametricresistance exercise device in accordance with the present invention;

FIG. 3 illustrates a front view of yet another embodiment of a diametricresistance exercise device in accordance with the present invention;

FIG. 4 illustrates a side view of still another embodiment of adiametric resistance exercise device in accordance with the presentinvention;

FIG. 5 illustrates a representative example of an exercise that may beperformed using a diametric resistance exercise device in accordance oneembodiment of the present invention; and

FIG. 6 illustrates another representative example of an exercise thatmaybe performed using a diametric resistance exercise device inaccordance with yet another one embodiment of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Reference throughout this specification to “one embodiment,” “anembodiment,” or similar language means that a particular feature,structure, or characteristic described in connection with the embodimentis included in at least one embodiment of the present invention. Thus,appearances of the phrases “in one embodiment,” “in an embodiment,” andsimilar language throughout this specification may, but do notnecessarily, all refer to the same embodiment.

Furthermore, the described features, structures, or characteristics ofthe invention may be combined in any suitable manner in one or moreembodiments. One skilled in the relevant art will recognize, however,that the invention can be practiced without one or more of the specificdetails, or with other methods, components, materials, and so forth. Inother instances, well-known structures, materials, or operations are notshown or described in detail to avoid obscuring aspects of theinvention.

FIGS. 1 and 2 depict a front perspective and side view of a diametricresistance exercise device (“exercise device”) 10 in accordance with oneembodiment of the present invention. The exercise device 10 comprises ahand member 12, a leg member 14, and a foot member 16, each beingconnected via a frame 18. The hand member 12 and foot member 16 meet atjunction points 20 of the frame 18. Preferably, the junction points 20allow the hand member 12 and the foot member 16 to swivel.

The hand member 12 includes gripping sections 19 configured to improve auser's grip on the hand member 12. Specifically, the gripping sections19 are angled to allow the user to strengthen different musclesdetermined by the preferred grip.

The leg member 14 attaches to an extension 22, which attaches to theframe 18. The leg member 14 may also be configured to swivel through theextension 22. As shown in FIG. 2, the extension 22 positions the legmember 14 offset from a longitudinal axis of the frame 18.

A layer of padding 23 may be attached to the leg member 14 to improvethe user's comfort during use.

The foot member 16 includes a foot securing means 24 for securing auser's foot to the foot member 16 to increase the number and types ofexercises that the user may perform. The exercise device 10 may beconfigured with an optional foot member locking mechanism 25, such as aclamp, clasp, bolt, screw, pin, or other device well known in the art.The leg member locking mechanism 25 is configured to lock the footmember 16 in a fixed position to improve comfort of the exercise device10 when in use.

In the illustrated embodiment, the securing means 24 comprises two ‘C’shaped members 26, which create a receiving area 28 for holding theuser's ankles therein. In operation, the user inserts his feet throughthe receiving areas 28 until the ‘C’ shaped members 26 wrap around theuser's ankles.

In another embodiment, the securing means 24 is a strap of rubber,plastic, textile, or other type of material configured to wrap aroundthe user's foot/feet. One skilled in the art will recognize that thereare many types of securing means 24 that maybe utilized to accomplishthe desired task of securing the user's foot/feet to the exercise device10.

FIGS. 3 and 4 illustrate front and side views of a diametric resistanceexercise device 10 in accordance with another embodiment of the presentinvention. The illustrated embodiment shows an exercise device 10similar to the exercise device 10 illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2, butincludes a press member 30 attached to an extended frame 32.

Similar to the arm member 12, the press member 30 may be configured toswivel through the extended frame 32. The press member 30 includes aplurality of gripping sections 34 to allow the user to hold the pressmember 30 in a preferred manner.

The extended frame 32 may removably attach to the frame 18, or the framemay be manufactured with the extended frame 32 permanently attached.

FIGS. 5 and 6 illustrate particular exercises possible with oneembodiment of the present invention. With the user 34 on his back andholding the arm member 12 with his legs resting on the leg member 14 andfeet inserted into the foot securing means 24, the user 34 is able toexercise diametric muscle groups. In particular, as the user 34 appliesa force in the direction of arrow 36 against the arm member 12, the legsapply a counter force in the direction of arrow 38. Accordingly, theuser 32 is able to adjust the amount of force necessary to push theexercise device 10 away from the user 32. The muscle groups affected inthis particular embodiment would be the arms and shoulders versus thequad and calf muscles.

Referring specifically to FIG. 6, using the exercise device 10, the user32 is able to diametrically exercise his shoulders, triceps, and bicepsversus his thigh muscles. The amount of force necessary to perform theexercise is completely up to the user 32.

It is understood that the above-described arrangements are onlyillustrative of the application of the principles of the presentlyillustrated invention. The present invention may, however, be embodiedin other specific forms without departing from its spirit or essentialcharacteristics. The described embodiments are to be considered in allrespects only as illustrative and not restrictive. The scope of theinvention is, therefore, indicated by the appended claims rather than bythe foregoing description. All changes which come within the meaning andrange of equivalency of the claims are to be embraced within theirscope.

For example, although the illustrative embodiments show a leg memberlocking mechanism 25 for locking the leg member 16 in a fixed position,it is envisioned that the locking mechanism 25 may be applied to thepress member 30, arm member 12, and the leg member 14 as well.

It is also envisioned that the exercise device 10 may be constructed ofa variety of materials, such as PVC, metal, wood, or plastic.

Additionally, although the illustrative embodiments show an exercisedevice 10 of fixed dimensions, it is envisioned that the frame 18 maybeadjustable to fit users 32 of varying heights, sizes, and shapes. Theframe may also be configured to separate to remove the press member 30,the arm member 12, the leg member 14, or the foot member 16 to insertdifferent shaped pieces, or different members to accommodate differentsized users 32 or to perform different exercises. For instance, the armmember 12 may be replaced with a flexible member (not shown), or thefoot member 16 may be replaced with a different foot member 16 having adifferent style securing means 24. The frame 18 may also be replaceable,for instance, a flexible type of frame 18 may be used and configured toallow the user 32 to twist the frame 18, or slightly bend the frame 18to improve the types of exercises that may be used.

Thus, while the present invention has been fully described above withparticularity and detail in connection with what is presently deemed tobe the most practical and preferred embodiment(s) of the invention, itwill be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art that numerousmodifications, including, but not limited to, variations in size,materials, shape, form, function and manner of operation, assembly anduse may be made, without departing from the principles and concepts ofthe invention as set forth in the claims.

1. An exercise device for exercising opposing muscles comprising: a frame; a hand member connected to one end of the frame; a foot member connected to an opposite end of the frame, the foot member being configured with a foot securing means for securing a user's foot to the foot member; a leg member positioned between the hand member and the foot member and connected to the frame; and wherein the hand member, foot member, and leg member are configured such that a force applied by the user to the hand member is opposed by a counter force acting against the foot member, and vice-versa.
 2. The device according to claim 1, wherein the hand member includes angled gripping sections configured to allow the user to grip the hand member in different positions.
 3. The device according to claim 2, wherein the hand member is configured to swivel.
 4. The device according to claim 1, wherein the foot securing means is 0 configured to wrap around the user's ankles.
 5. The device according to claim 1, wherein the foot securing means comprises two ‘C’ shaped members, which create a receiving area for holding the user's ankles therein.
 6. The device according to claim 1, wherein the foot securing means wraps around the user's foot to removably secure the user's foot to the foot member.
 7. The device according to claim 1, wherein the leg member comprises a layer of padding configured to protect the user from injury.
 8. The device according to claim 1, wherein the frame comprises an extension protruding from a side of the frame, wherein the leg member attaches to the extension, such that the leg member is offset from a longitudinal axis of the frame.
 9. The device according to claim 1, wherein the exercise device is constructed of PVC.
 10. The device according to claim 1, wherein the foot member is configured to swivel.
 11. An exercise device comprising: a frame; a press member connected to one end of the frame; a foot member connected to an opposite end of the frame, the foot member being configured with a foot securing means; a hand member connected to the frame and positioned between the press member and the foot member; a leg member positioned between the hand member and the foot member and connected to the frame; and wherein the press member, hand member, foot member, and leg member are configured such that a force applied by a user to the press or hand member is opposed by a counter force acting against the foot member, and vice-versa.
 12. The device according to claim 11, wherein the hand member includes angled gripping sections configured to allow the user to grip the hand member in different positions.
 13. The device according to claim 12, wherein the press member and hand member are configured to swivel.
 14. The device according to claim 11, wherein the foot securing means is configured to wrap around the user's ankles.
 15. The device according to claim 11, wherein the foot securing means comprises two ‘C’ shaped members 26, which create a receiving area for holding the user's ankles therein.
 16. The device according to claim 11, wherein the foot securing means wraps around the user's foot to removably secure the user's foot to the foot member.
 17. The device according to claim 11, wherein the leg member comprises a layer of padding configured to protect the user from injury.
 18. The device according to claim 11, wherein the frame comprises an extension protruding from a side of the frame, wherein the leg member attaches to the extension, such that the leg member is offset from a longitudinal axis of the frame.
 19. The device according to claim 11, wherein the exercise device is constructed of PVC.
 20. The device according to claim 11, wherein the foot member is configured to swivel. 